1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process and a device for controlling a plurality of light emitting diode assemblies, or LEDs, equipping an automotive vehicle. In the present application, an LED assembly could be an assembly of one LED or of a number of LEDs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current automotive vehicles are equipped with LED assembly, each of these assemblies being allocated a specific lighting and/or signalling function. The aforesaid specific functions, if not the LED assemblies themselves, are subject to strict regulations governing their parameters, including minimum and/or maximum illumination intensity, the electrical power necessary for performing each of these functions, the spread of the intensity of illumination when the function involves street lighting, taking account of traffic conditions.
Among the numerous functions currently embodied on automotive vehicles, it is possible to mention, in particular, by way of non-exhaustive example, Turn Indicators (TIs), Day Running Lights (DRLs), Parking Lights (PLs) and Cornering Lights (CLs). Other functions such as brake lights, reversing lights, main beams and dipped beams form part of all of the functions embodied by LED assemblies, whether at the front, at the rear or on the sides of current automotive vehicles.
Multiplication of these functions and of the LED assemblies corresponding to them poses however not only the problem of rationalization of their integration on automotive vehicles, but equally that of their electrical power supply, in accordance with current standards and regulations, and, above all, of their simultaneous or discrete control, with a minimum of components and circuits.
At the current time, as illustrated schematically in FIG. 1A relating to the prior art known to inventors, a power/control module assembly labeled MP1/C1, Mpi/Ci to MPn/Cn is allocated to an LED assembly G1, Gi to Gn. The power module specific to the LED assembly and to the function concerned is the one most often integrated into the control module and suitable for delivering an average electrical power Pmi corresponding to the function of the LED assembly Gi concerned.
This simplistic type of architecture involves multiplication of the electrical components and an increase in the space necessary for embodiment for all of the functions. Furthermore, in the event of multiplication of the functions, multiplication of the power/control modules makes the synchronization of these functions and of the LED assemblies corresponding to them more difficult.
More recently, as represented in FIG. 1B relating to the prior art known to inventors, in order to facilitate the synchronization of a number of functions, it has been proposed to group the control step associated with a number of corresponding LED assemblies. However, although permitting a reduction in overall dimension, this new architecture has the inconvenience of requiring a specific power module per function and per LED assembly for the reasons indicated earlier, without however facilitating synchronization of the functions.
In the two cases of prior art, as illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, allowing for additional functions requires the necessary addition of at least one power module delivering sufficient average power.